This patent includes a computer program listing appendix on compact disc. Two duplicate compact discs are provided herewith. Each compact disc contains a computer program listing as follows:
Filename: hc11
Size: 4 kilobytes
Date Created: Oct. 15, 2002
Filename: switch28
Size: 14 kilobytes
Date Created: Oct. 15, 2002
The computer program listing appendix is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in the present application.
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus useful during anaerobic fermentation, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for measuring the volume and rate of gas produced during anaerobic fermentation, this invention having particular utility during the making of alcoholic beverages.
It is common when making alcoholic beverages in the home to place the liquid subject to fermentation into a vessel for anaerobic fermentation, the vessel being closed by a fermentation airlock. The purpose of the fermentation airlock is to prevent undesirable dust and bacteria from contaminating the material being fermented. Therefore it is common to utilize an airtrap, the gas produced by fermentation bubbling though a liquid in the airtrap, the liquid typically containing water and a sterilizing agent such as sodium or potassium metabisulfite. Differing types of fermentation locks are employed, various examples being shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,517,884, 4,842,869, and 5,950,524. A favorite form of airlock is the xe2x80x9cSxe2x80x9d type airlock, variations being shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,023,153 and 4,717,031, and German patents 412,918 and 957,563. Another prior art form of xe2x80x9cSxe2x80x9d type airlock is shown in FIG. 1 of this application, this particular form of xe2x80x9cSxe2x80x9d type airlock being sold under the tradename of TRIPLE RIPPLE.
The TRIPLE RIPPLE airlock is molded from a clear plastic, all airlocks being quite uniform in size. It has been observed that when using a TRIPLE RIPPLE airlock that each bubble has substantially the same volume, i.e., 1.7 ml. It is also known that during fermentation that equal mole volumes of CO2 and alcohol are produced.
It is an object of the present invention to monitor bubble events through an xe2x80x9cSxe2x80x9d type airlock to determine the volume and rate of alcohol production. A bubble event, as used in this application, refers to when a bubble passes through the air lock.
More particularly, it is a further object of the present invention to utilize the bubble events to set various alarms so that the operator of the anaerobic fermentation apparatus will be provided with certain information to facilitate the making of alcoholic beverages.
The above objects, and other objects and advantages of this invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred form of this invention is illustrated.